Running-board guard rail for freight cars



L. L. SCHELLINGER.

RUNNING BOARD GUARD RAIL FOR FREIGHT CARS.

APPLICATION man JULY 26.1921.

1 ,4 1 1 ,938. Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

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' nwmron WITNESSES L JC LLJNGE mamas L L SCHELLINGER RUNNING BOARD GUARD RAIL FOR FREIGHT CARS.

I APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1921. 1,411,938.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

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INVENTOR Z592 L. J'cHE LI/VGZ BY ATTORNEYS UN T D A E PATENT OFFICE.

LEE LIVINGSTON SCHELLINGEB, OF MCGRAW, NEW YORK.

RUNNING-BOARD GUARD RAIL FOR FREIGHT CARS.

Application filed July 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnn LrviNesroN Sorrnnnmonn, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of McGraw. in the county of Cortland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Running-Board- Guard Rails for Freight Cars, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention is an improvement in run ning board guard rails for freight cars, and the invention has for its object to provide mechanism of the character specified, for making safe the travel of brakemen and other employees along the running boards of freight cars and to and from the brake wheels.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a freight car having the improved guard rails,

Figure 2 is a top plan view,

Figure 8 is an end view,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective of a car equipped with the invention.

In the present embodiment of the invention the freight car body indicated at l is supported by the usual trucks 2, and it has the usual running board 3 on its roof. At each end of the car there is the usual brake controlling shaft t. each shaft having the hand wheel 5 for operating the same.

As is known on freight trains it is necessary for the brakeman and other employees to travel. over the cars when passing from one part of the train to another, and running boards are provided for such travel. These narrow platforms have no protection. and in bad wcathermovement upon the running boards is exceedingly dangerous. The wind may blow the brakeman off the car especially when he is blinded by driving snow or rain, and in freezing weather ice on the running board increases the d anger. Not only is the brakeman liable to slip when traveling but he is liable to be thrown from the car in rounding curves.

In order to provide safety for the employees, I provide a pair of guard rails at each side of the running board. Each pair consists of an upper rail 6 and a lower rail. 7 the said rails being connected and supported by posts 8. The posts are arranged in pairs, the members of each pair being on opposite sides of the running board, and each post carries a cross 10 near its lower end Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 487,627.

and a T 11 at its upper end. The guard rails 6 and 7 are sectional, and the ends of the sections are engaged with the ends of the crosses and with the ends of the Ts.

The brake shafts as in the usual practice are placed laterally with respect to the running boards, and the topmost guard rail of each pair of rails has at that end adjacent to a brake shaft a lateral extension 12. This extension curves downwardly and outwardly as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and it is secured to the topmost hand hold 15 of the side ladder. At the opposite end the guard rail has an extension 13 which curves downwardly to a connection with the running board as shown in Figure 2. The connection between the extension 12 and the handhold is by means of a loop 14 formed on the ex tension, the said loop engaging the handheld. The posts 8 are secured to the ends of the cross bars which support the running board in any suitable or desired manner. From the moment that the employee reaches the top of the car. he has something to which he may hold. The topmost guard rail is about fifteen inches from the top of the rail, at about the height of the brake wheel. The lowermost guard rail is about three inches higher than the running board which prevents banking of snow, sleet and the like on the guard rail. Since the guard rail is no higher than the brake wheel, it will be evident that the car may run through tunnels, under bridges and the like without interference with. the guard rails. In case the brakeman has to approach the edge of the car for any purpose he may easily step over the guard rail.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the lower endsof the standards 8 are provided with elbows to which are connected the ends of cross pipes 8 The cross pipes 8" are in turn extended through flanges 8 secured to the sides of the running board.

In carrying out the invention, the posts 8 may be located only at every other feed coupling 10 without sacrificing the necessary strength. Also the cross pipes are not secured to the roof of the car but to the side members of the running board 3 and thereby do not cause leaks in the roof.

A guard rail constructed in accordance with this invention may be applied to tank cars by merely extending a rail (consisting of upper and lower rails) around the outer side or ed e of walking platform (or running board on each side of tank) and across ends of tank car frame, a convenient distance from tank. I

I claim: 7

1. In a railroad car the combination with the running board and the brake cont-rolling wheels, of a guard at each side of the running board, said guard at the wheels extending laterally outward to provide a guard or thefwheel and for the tops of theside ladders, the guard comprising a series of 1 posts secured to the car and extending up- Wardly therefrom at each side of the rail, upper and lower guard rails supported by the posts at each side, each of the uppermost guard rails having an extension at each end,

for the topmost handheld of the side ladders, the guard comprising a series of posts se cured to the car at each side of the running board and extending upwardly therefrontr s supported ning board, said guard at the wheels extending laterally outwardly and downwardly and connected to the topmost handhold of the side ladders to provide a guard for the wheel and for the tops of the side ladders. p a r 4. A guard rail assembly for freight cars including a top running board, said running board having side flanges, standards at eac side of the running board and spaced apart longitudinally 'thereoi, upper and lower longitudinal rails connected to said standards, and cross rails connecting the lower ends of said standards and extending through the side flanges of the running board. H

LEE LIVINGSTON SQHELLINGEB. 

